(my theatre program with her rare signature, from the successful 1959 Philadelphia run which culminated on Broadway and various awards)
Lorraine Hansberry is pretty much a forgotten name now partly because she was a one-hit wonder. But what a sensation it was when it came out–A Raisin in the Sun–the first significant black play by an American black author. I first studied the play in my AmLit course at U of A in 1970-71, and later, saw the film version with the dynamic young Sidney Poitier in the lead male role.
I always wondered if Hansberry had written anything else. Turns out she had–various kinds of forgotten journalism and one more play with black and white characters which flopped after Raisin. It was written after she divorced her husband, became a lesbian, and then contracted cancer and died in her 30s.
American Masters has generously devoted two hours to her life and career, and probably a half-hour could have been cut for a number of reasons to make this doc more powerful. In any case, this film will be especially appreciated by her fans and black audiences everywhere, and explain what happened to her after Raisin as well as revealing her involvement in civil rights. Amazingly, there is rare private footage of Hansberry and her private diaries also reveal more about her personality and her inner self.
Hansberry’s major work remains an effective snapshot into the lives of black Americans about the time of the Civil Rights Movement and the discrimination they faced. Many people today have not experienced what the Youngers do and, although the play is not often performed in Canada, it still remains the ultimate black commentary on the American dream and a major step forward in asserting dignity in black lives. I highly recommend it, probably more than any other American black literary work for its hard truths and realistic characterizations.